Cleveland Rocks!

I came across this article on the Cuyahoga River in Cleveland in the Sacramento Bee today. I know it sounds very weird, but that river actually burnt! I can remember drinking beer watching a man win a $500 bet by swimming the width of the river in a wetsuit. Randy Nueman wrote a song about it. We can owe much of our environmental regulations at the nationwide disgust at the way the industrial corridor in the Akron/Cleveland area treated the river. Sewage plants dumped barely settled sewage into the river and its tributaries!

As a kid, we were not allowed to play in the river or any of the creeks that fed it. I can remember a storm sewer burning and discharging an oily goo into the area we played ball and picked raspberries. Fish did not go up the river to spawn from Lake Erie for over 18 years, and then it was clean enough for one pike and one bluegill. Now, my little brothers catch steelhead trout, salmon (both transplanted breeds) on the river and its tributaries. They can catch fish in Lake Erie and keep the little guys with less mercury (coal-fired power plant gifts) to eat. Now there are 40 species of fish! It is pretty cool.

and silliness from today's paper--

rojo

Sextoy Chappedass

OMG, I was listening to Saxby Chambliss on Hardball tonight just before bed. He stated that absolutely the people in Iran do not hold it against the U.S. that the CIA overthrew their democratic government in 1953. Has he forgotten that the Ayatollah was the end result of the revolution to overthrow the remnants of the government we installed? I am sure that no one in Iran remembers that. And this hairbrained asshole is a Senator. on committees. And he kept talking about some Iranian named AmyJinnyDad. The last DAD had two syllables. Nice respect. Maybe learn the President of Iran's name. He might consider it disrespect if on national television I called him Sextoy ChappedAss all night.

What a tool.

rojo

Thoughts on a Sunday

My morning ritual involves reading the paper and slowly sipping tea and then reading internet news. Around 2006, I was so mad at everything, I started posting. Today, I did the same and just wonder why I even bother to read anymore. If I were a depressive, I would be drinking by now. Okay, Bloody Mary's sound good any Sunday morning, but if I were to start drinking, it would be because I was in a good mood--not for depression.

What made me so depressed?
1) Iranian elections. Not as subtle as the Bush stealing of 2000 and 2004. There he only had to cheat in one state in each election. And if Republicans really believed in the true outcome of elections, like they state in Minnesota now, they would have waited for a complete recount. But I digress. Now the incumbent declared victory by a huge margin even as the polls were closing. And then the challenger is arrested. Gotta love a democracy. They learned well as we replaced the democratically elected government with the Shah years ago.

2) Right Wing Patriot Groups. The Minutemen actually invade a home and kill 2. WTF? What, were they non-whites? The worst part is that just like the late 60s, I fear that there will be much more right-wing, race violence. Is it to undignified for Janet Napolitano to go "Nayh, nayh, I told you so!" or to rescind her apology?

3) Can Mitch McConnell move to CA for a short time so he can have a chin transplant? Nothing like watching a chinless person play macho and try to break bad while looking like Elmer Fudd. I guess this my deep thought for the day.

4) Water wars in CA. Todays Sac Bee (best local paper I have had the pleasure of reading since the Des Moines Register!!!!) had an editorial section today again focused on water rights, animal rights and water use. Not once in that debate did anyone mention sustainability. Let's see, the population tripled in the last 20 years, there are government tax breaks (aka welfare and grants) for growing water hungry corn and alfalfa in a desert, people in Sacramento use 300+ gallons of water per day (national average has decreased back to around 125) and the NPDES discharge permit system in CA has no nitrient limits! Ammonia (aka a fishkiller found in human waste) is okay to discharge because we believe that the solution to pollution is dilution. The rivers are big. I have run small wastewater plants in mountain communities of less than 400 people who have exceedingly more strict discharge permits. I mean, San Diego has primary settling, which means settle some condoms and sanitary pads, some toilet paper and some feces settle out and then they chlorinate the hell out of it and pump it to sea. The ocean can dilute a ton, I guess. AAARRRGGGH! The arguments are all wrong. They are all about how we can USE the resource the best, not protect it.

Well, to ease my mood, here is a hot little toone. After that, walk the dogs. And sorry, but again a dinosaur band.



rojo

Fleetwood Mac

They used to be good.




rojo

Penguins Win!!!!

Red Wings lose!!!! hee hee hee

and to celebrate--Papa Grows Funk




rojo

Are You Ready to Rumble?

The water fights are going to start...

rojo

Loose Ends

There was good story on the shut down of a nuclear power plant in the Sacramento Bee on Sunday. It was closed by popular vote 20 years ago. Sacramento Utilities (SMUD) has since gone into wind, solar and preventative means. The article listed one means I never thought of. My wife and I have always been amazed at how many trees there are here, particularly after living in semi-arid Colorado. Well, SMUD planted 500,000 trees to keep it cooler as along term energy plan. It works! I had a long conversation with a treatment geek who works with our firm in Burbank and she was going gaga over the green roofs she had seen in Chicago for cooling. They have been used in Germany extensively and are now finding a home in the Midwest. I am reminded of John Todd's Living Machines he wanted to introduce to urban areas and the greenhouse wastewater plants he conceived. They worked well and had specific application. In fact, for small plants, as photovoltaic cells are further developed, they would work great. Here is another source for living machines. Plants do amazing things. There has been little follow up on the work of Kathe Siedel of the Max Plank Institute as she tried to show which plants preferred which pollutants, or emitted antibacterial and antiviral secretions that could be used to partially disinfect wastewater.

Another item I saw last week were signs over plowed fields stating Congress Caused Dust Bowl. This meant the field was prepped and plowed, but there was no water allocation for irrigation as there just is not enough water for people, wildlife and farming. This year farming is losing. In fact, there was yet another ruling in Congress that fish ladders have to be built so slamon can spawn where they used to. This a means there must be enough water allocated for fish spawning. Apparently it has gotten to the point where killer whale pods are starving because there is no salmon to eat because they have no spawning areas anymore. This is a water battle that will get worse. There were miles of dead fruit trees down I-5 as irrigation is not available. CA is used to redirecting water, draining lakes and rivers, etc for economic advantage This is codified in state law, even for wastewater.

Finally, I see the Supreme Court is stopping the Chrysler sale until it can review the claims of those who are losing investment. This could be a rough one. And will effect GM. This could put a big stop on any economic recovery. Maybe the Court could look at bonuses while they're at it for bankers.

rojo

New American Car Company

So, Roger Penske of Smart car and Indy racing and rental truck fame (he used to be a racer, too, back in the hay day of American sports car racing). Now, an offer sheet for Saturn. He will purchase cars from GM factories until 2011. Then, ??? My guess is he will will have his own engineers or purchase engineered packages from whatever manufacturer will provide the best that he sees. A car company without its own manufacturing arm. Hey, privatization can work or fail miserably. My guess is with his track record, he will succeed.

With all that said, today's music video is a good one from King Crimson



Have a good weekend,

rojo

A Sad Day, GM Declares Bankruptcy

A few words on the subject from Michael Moore.

And a few from me. It is a shame that the bizheads there never caught on to what America wanted and needed. It is a classic case of poor management plus. OMG. First, planned obsolescence. Then, bad cars. Fighting emission and safety regulations. Yet having some of the best engineers money can produce. The culture just sucked. My dad worked for them designed scrapers (Euclid) and dozers. When they were purchased by a West German firm (okay, there is no more West Germany--let's you know how long ago that was), he was amazed at what they had to work with. No more unmuffled deisels using the same transmission as a stressed member for twenty years. You could actually speak next to the machines as they ran, and many transmissions and design possibilities were open. He was happy he had to think again.

The culture sucked. It was all about non-innovation and sales and maximizing profits. Sad that mediocrity could last so long. They weren't always mediocre.

And Michael Moore is right--we could actually diversify and build things that work and are relevant. What a shock.

rojo

Another Fillmore Label Artist

Here is the other Fillmore label artist with Jo Baker as his lead vocalist.







rojo

Sunday Morning, Wake Up!






The underrated Lydia Pense of Cold Blood on vocals.

rojo

How Many Ways Is This Wrong?!

This is from an interview of Chris Matthews by Charlie Rose.

Matthews: Well they don't quite get me. They, I'm first of all a grown up and they resent that, but secondly, and also, I have a job..they don't like that either.(speaking about bloggers, rojo) That's really going to fester them with anger. But when we first went into Iraq and when they set it up this way or not and whether or not Mike Deaver still had his hand in this or not, you know like it all looked good, they all tore down the statues and everything looked great, I thought you know I've been dead wrong about this.

Rose: At that point everything was great.

Matthews: I thought I was wrong, but I thought it was good for the country.

Rose: That...

Matthews: That's what's different. I'm not a lefty now because I said you know, I'd rather be wrong about something this fundamental and have it good for my country that was the right move to go in. And the Charles Krauthammer's and the other smart people and the neo-conservatives that supported the war, I'm glad they're right, because this is good for my country. And for the days right after that when the statues were coming down and the people seemed happy and the Sunnis were on the run, the Shias seemed happy and they hadn't started causing trouble yet, and Sistani was with us and al Sadr hadn't started causing trouble, and everything seemed alright, I was glad for my country.

And so I would say positive things about mission accomplished. I wanted to be wrong. That's why I'm different than these bloggers and people that are so cock sure of themselves. I'd rather have my country succeed than be right. You know I can live with being wrong. I don't want to live in a country that's failed. So I'm different than most people that way. I don't want to just be the smartass that's right all the time. I'd rather be wrong when my country is hurt. I don't want it to get hurt.

Where do you even start? Okay, maybe we start with why Chris thinks bloggers are angry because he has a job. I blog just a little because I too have a job. Mine is treating water and wastewater. You know, public health and environmental protection. If I screw up at my job people get sick.

What is Chris' job? O yeah, to be a journalist. Report the truth. So here he is reporting on what he believes is not right, but good for the country. Like a buffoon he helped cheerlead us into a war by swaying public opinion for the war that was built on false pretenses. Unlike me, where I provide health (hopefully) he sways public opinion with his words. So let's see--he helped get us into a war not because it was right or just, but it would be good for the country. I am sure the 4000+ who have died will share that opinion. As do the hundred of thousand Iraqis who have dies and watched there rather modern country become a hell hole where women have lost most of their rights. And about that war cost never being in the budget--did anyone ever hear Chris bitch about that? No, we can fight a war and shop and run up debt at the same time. The American Way.

One other thing is that didn't anyone see that picking on Saddam was like picking on the local puppy torturer. He was a bad guy. period. So no one could really say we are picking on a good guy. Invading a country with no real air power or anti-aircraft network with airpower is kind of like slapping 3 year olds or puppys. It is no contest. What really sucked is that no one understood the long term ramifications of putting the country back together. The plan was to get their oil and have westrn firms run the oil and the populace could do for themselves. Wonder why they fought back with IEDs?

To me this is even worse than the Faux News Clown Circus. You know they are only seeing things from one side. Chris is supposed to be a serious journalist. Not some kind of buffoon. I am here to say "Chris, you were wrong! and the blood on your hands is as much your fault as the those who came up with the idea to invade a country who had no connection to 9/11." I hope you are proud of your legacy.

Maybe you could start really investigating war fraud, contractor fraud and maybe walk through Iraq and see if you are proud of the death and destruction you helped bring. Me, I will still be angry because you shirked your job. I have a job. I do it so people don't get sick. People rely on me for clean water, for streams that don't kill fish. I rely on you for FACTS. I don't have time to go find them out for myself. That is not my job, it was yours.

rojo

Yesterday While Sick

I listened to NPR over the weekend and here is The Boner (I think) stating they are going to filibuster the Supreme Court nomination. Was not even announced yet and the F word is proudly paraded. The party of NO! indeed.

rojo

Dinosaurs!



or maybe



Had the chance to see Nicky Hopkins play with Jeff Beck and the Airplane. The Airplane had a new band member named Papa John Creach. Here is Papa John and Jorma doing a Blind Willie McTell song



and Papa John with the Airplane off his solso album. Sorry, no video.



rojo

The Ditty Bops

These two did a bike tour one of there last tours and invited fans to ride with them.



A fun band.

rojo

Nice Work If You Can Get It!

and this from the ass who wants to secede. Easy to take millions for yourself of government money.

rojo

I'm Not Dead Yet....

I have been travelling and putting in way too many hours so I have not posted in a long time. here goes--

Congratulations to Natalia Rudiak for winning her populist race for Council in Pittsburgh!

John Boner of Ohio (oops, did I spell that wrong. too bad, Mr. Bronzeface) wants a bipartisan investigation into torture and Nancy Pelosi because the CIA would never lie. He's right. Let's start by investigating torture in a purely apolitical manner and see if any laws were broken. Then prosecute whoever gets caught in the web. Gut feeling tells me that is why Mr. Cheney is in the news speaking so much. If torture is ever investigated then someone in the previous administartion goes down! period. Just today Gonzalez was listed as the source of approval for torture before he worked for the Justice Department, back when he worked for the White house. oops. Someone had to give him the green light to say yes.

GM and Chrysler are closing so many dealerships that 100,000 will be out work soon. That really sucks! and yet the asshole who was in charge of GM can't be gotten of payroll yet until his perks are squared away. There is really something wrong with that.

Finally this little gem. Global warming effects the world! not just us white folk in the U.S.

Music of some sort tomorrow. Promise.

And I saw Lou Dobbs tonight while working out. You would think after his report the whole of U.S. crime is caused by illegal immigrants. Every story ended with "...and they were illegal immigrants."

rojo

On TV Last Night



and how about that bass player, Tal Wilkenfled!!!



rojo

A Friday Toone

I stopped in a Starbuck's yesterday for some tea--don't laugh, coffee and I don't get along and they were playing Talking Heads. I said to myself--boy, why have I never posted scenes from the BEST CONCERT VIDEO ever--Stop Making Sense. I mean how can you not watch this and not want to dance???!!!!!

So this morning I see Crooks and Liars posted Life During Wartime.

Here is more to start the day



from the quirky Psychokiller performed with boombox to this



It is well worth getting your hands on the DVD and having a party!!!!!!! Hey, they even have Bernie Worrel from PFunk in the band.
Even if the 25th anniversary DVD takes two of my favorite toones of the VCR version and places them in extra.

Happy Friday!

rojo

oohh one more

Let's Make the World a Better World

Okay, it is time to quit fixating on how Ms. PreJean's boobs have miraculously grown and gotten rounder as she embraced God and opposite marriage.

And how the insurance companies pledge to give up $2 Trillion dollars just to stay viable (makes you wonder how much they really make if $2 trillion is chump change?). Do ya think we need single payer when that much is chump change. OMG.

And GM is going to file bankruptcy. Yeesh. A sad, sad saga of mismanagement when you basically OWN the market place and then how to lose it. I bet the executives made more money in bonuses pissing away the market share then I will make in my lifetime. Maybe I should have gone to General Motors Institute when I was excepted. Naw, let's go live in a commune. D'oh. One of my better moves. Brilliant!

So, to change your day--